Beyond the result, the sports – and general – press on Tuesday only had the participation of the young influencer, with reactions that were mainly indignant. But also noting that the objective – the buzz – desired by Riestra has been achieved.
Riestra’s post X announcing Spreen’s presence in the starting lineup thus recorded 3.4 million views, instead of several thousand for a normal club match.
Not everyone was convinced, far from it. Visibly upset, the Velez striker, current top scorer in the championship, Braian Romero, denounced after the match a “lack of respect towards Football”.
He regretted “cheating”, a “wrong message sent to society, to children, to those who try until the end” to break into football. Football “isn’t that, it’s about trying to the end, leaving your family (…), trying, failing, trying, failing, failing again, trying again.”
New audiences, or bets?
Juan Sébastian Veron, the former international (73 caps) and current president of the Estudiantes de La Plata club, also criticized a “total lack of respect for football and footballers”.
The captain of Deportivo Riestra, Milton Celiz had a more mixed reaction, between understanding and clearance. “He’s a friend of the house, he has a contract (…) he can benefit from it, everyone would like to play in the first division”. But he also said he “understands the criticism”, adding that “it is not our responsibility (as players), it is the business of the owners” of the club.
The Federation (AFA) has asked its ethics tribunal to investigate “possible conduct likely to harm the reputation of integrity of Argentine football”. For the AFA, “at first glance, the inclusion (of Buhajeruk) could have violated one or more clauses of the Code of Ethics”.
Riestra, a small club from Buenos Aires which has climbed five divisions in ten years, supported by a businessman and lawyer who owns a brand of energy drinks, had to mount a defense on Tuesday, noting “the many negative opinions” in its “marketing action”.
“At no time was our intention to disrespect Club Atletico de Velez Sarsfield, nor to Argentine football”assured the club in a press release, recalling that Velez had been warned of the initiative the week before the match.
“Our objective was (and is) to attract new audiences to football, to generate bridges between different worlds and platforms to continue to strengthen the product (football, editor’s note) and our club, which is experiencing a historic moment in Premiere division”.
Riestra says he will “continue to work with all components” of football, to “contribute to the evolution and growth of the sport we love.” But still offers its “deepest apologies to anyone who felt offended”.
Some media on Tuesday noted even darker suspicions surrounding the buzz. The daily Clarin reports that an online betting company offered juicy bets on Monday on whether Spreen would start the match or not. An investigation was opened by the prosecutor’s office specializing in games of chance.
“Strange things are happening in world champion football,” concluded Clarin, in reference to the tension between the clubs, in an associative format, and the Milei government which would like to transform them into limited companies, open to foreign capital. “But there are also things happening that shouldn’t be happening. And that should be investigated.”
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